


Fur and Frost

by PrincePhilo



Category: League of Legends
Genre: M/M, Snowed In, a couple other people are technically included, anyway it's Innocent and probably the first of a few things, but im slow af so. be prepared to wait., but they're only mentioned so i didn't tag them, ilu all, it'd suck if u were looking for some nice poppy fic and found this huh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 18:37:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12393819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincePhilo/pseuds/PrincePhilo
Summary: When Rengar and Warwick find themselves caught out in a Freljordic blizzard, they duck inside a cabin to wait out the storm. Inside, there's only one thing they can do to pass the time - talk. Which neither of them is good at.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Warwick (sspsdd)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sspsdd/gifts).



> IMPORTANT NOTE: This is set in a setting where the League did exist, broke up, and is now in the process of being reformed by a few people for various reasons. This is also done with Rengar's old lore where he was just a dude who loves to hunt bc I don't like how mean/evil the new lore makes him seem?? at least to me. so keep that in miiiind. warwick is just new warwick. no special lore things there. :3 enjoy!!

“My tail is f-frozen to the back of my l-leg.”

Rengar looked up from the boot he was fighting to remove to glance up at a sight he could only describe as pathetic. Warwick stood next to him in the dimly-lit cabin, arms crossed and entire body shivering. Even their thick pelts weren’t enough to protect the duo from the full effects of this blizzard, and Warwick’s shaking form made Rengar even more aware of his own mostly numb body. God, he wanted a fire.

The lion-man sighed and stood up shakily, his balance a bit wobbly due to the half-on half-off boot. As he approached his companion, he shook his leg behind him with each step until the shoe was finally off. He took a moment to be thankful he was more heavily clothed than his friend was. “Come here, I’ll try to fix it. Just need to rub my hands on it til it thaws a bit and you’ll be free.”

“Sh-Shouldn’t you be m-more worried about yourself?”

Warwick pointed at something and Rengar’s eyes followed his finger. Down to his belt … and he groaned a bit, his mood dipping even further than it had already.

“I-I think your pants are --”

“Frozen to my legs. Yeah. Looks like that.”

The Freljord was awful and he hated it here already.


	2. Chapter 2

It was supposed to have been a pretty simple assignment. Everyone was heading north to find Ashe and her people and invite them to join the new League. Jarvan was leading the group, naturally. Quinn took care of most of the scouting (though she claimed having to do so in all the snow was a pain in the ass) and the rest of them were just kind of along for the ride, taking care of whatever random things needed to be done to keep the camp stocked and the group moving. Rengar and Warwick were unsurprisingly in charge of hunting and foraging. They had supplies, but fresh meat and whatever few edible plants they could find would make sure they never had to worry about running out.

It was about a week into their trek when the two found themselves caught in a blizzard.

Earlier that day, Vi had excitedly announced to everyone that she had spotted a huge deer from the edge of camp. The game on the edges of the Freljord had so far been less than stellar, so everyone really liked the idea of a bit of fresh meat. Rengar himself had been itching for anything more interesting than sitting on a horse or staring at snow.

It was his first time in the Freljord, and he was looking forward to seeing what he could kill. All sorts of strange and rare things lived in the mountains and snow of the freezing north - they would make fine trophies. If he could ever actually find anything, anyway. Rabbits and birds were not the most exciting prey.

The two set out early in the day to avoid the storm. Quinn had seen it rolling in from the east while she was taking a look around the day before, but told them it should be fine so long as they made it back before sunset. The sky was clear and the air was crisp, albeit freezing. Nothing they couldn’t handle with a thick layer of fur, right? Rengar felt confident in his ability to survive any sort of weather. He wasn’t some pasty little human, after all, devoid of fur and susceptible to the elements.

Rengar was wrong, of course. Quinn was too, as they found out only a few hours later.

They found that damn deer. Took a while trying to go off of Vi’s poor directions, but they did it. It wasn’t nearly as ‘awesomely gigantic’ as the woman had insisted, but it was big enough to share and that was all that really mattered. So long as they could get it back to camp before it got too frosty, anyway.

It was right as they finished getting the last of the meat into a bag that the storm blew in without warning. They’d been too focused on what they were doing - their hunt led them into a copse of trees that blocked out the sky, and they had become too comfortable to remember to actually keep an eye out. It was still hours before sunset when the edge of the blizzard came between them and camp, and they knew then that they were maybe a bit fucked.

The cabin was a godsend. They had been walking for what felt like forever, desperate to find any sort of shelter from the cold, when Warwick had spotted it on the horizon. Nestled between two large rocks, whoever built it clearly had longevity in mind. The two spent no time deliberating and rushed to their newly found haven.

The door was locked, but that didn’t do much to slow Rengar down. His fingers were stiff from the cold but his determination sped him along and soon enough the door popped open with a loud click. The two hurried inside, slamming the door behind them.

For now, they would live. But something probably needed to be done about that frozen tail …


	3. Chapter 3

“Remind me when we get back to skin Quinn’s damned bird,” Rengar growled, fumbling with a match. It took a few tries, but the fireplace finally sparked to life and an immediate warmth caused him to give a relieved sigh. He rubbed his hands together in front of it as it slowly grew.

“I d-don’t think we can just put all the blame on her.” Warwick plopped down by the fire, sitting with his back to it. His half-frozen tail twitched uncomfortably as it attempted to break free of its frosty prison. “We weren’t really w-watching the sky.” 

His teeth chattered as he spoke - he looked a bit more frosty than Rengar did, which caused the lion-man to frown a bit and look away. “Just … save your energy and focus on getting warm. This storm really got me even through my fur … almost wish I had taken that coat after all.”

Warwick said nothing, but seemed to adjust himself to scoot slightly closer to the flame. 

The two were quiet for a little while as they defrosted. Rengar felt instant relief as he cut away his trousers with a knife (Warwick made sure to look away) and put on a new, less frozen pair. It was a good thing he carried most of his worldly possessions with him at most times. Unfortunately, this meant he was down to exactly one pair of pants. He’d just have to get more later. 

Once Warwick had full feeling in all his appendages again, he looked to Rengar. “I think I’m mostly back to normal. How are you feeling?”

Rengar stood and stretched a bit. “Mmm … my legs are still a bit stiff, but I’ll live. No permanent damage. Probably.”

There was a short pause as the two men looked at one another. Neither seemed to know what to say. Warwick looked away and Rengar scratched at the back of his head.

Truthfully, neither was particularly good at talking. They had spent a lot of time together in the past month or so since the formation of their group. The two had a lot in common, after all - they were the only animal people in their group, one a Vestaya, one a chimera. They were the best hunters, a bit standoffish, intimidating to the average person … the main difference seemed to come in attitude. 

Rengar wanted to be friends. It was the first time ever meeting someone with an appearance like his own. The closest thing to him in Kumungu had been Nidalee, and well, it was hard to make friends with someone when they keep trying to kill you for hunting in their home. He knew what Vestaya were, he’d learned of them from his father, but he’d never gone out of his way to find any. He always told himself he didn’t care about stuff like that, but now that he had someone like him so close, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about it. He wanted a friend who understood him in a way a human never could. 

The problem was that Warwick just … didn’t seem as interested.

He wasn’t rude, no. He was fully willing to interact with Rengar, and the two actually spent a great deal of time together even when they weren’t working. They hunted together, they roamed the camp together, they even had their tents near one another. But conversations were often one-sided. Rengar felt like, even after weeks around one another, he barely knew anything about Warwick. The chimera still seemed somewhat uncomfortable around him at times at well, in a strict contrast to how at-ease Rengar felt. 

These thoughts were completely filling Rengar’s mind when Warwick’s voice shocked him back to reality.

“I … hmm? What?” His eyes were a bit wide, conveying his mild surprise, but he shook his head and looked back to the other man. “Sorry, I was thinking about something. What did you say?”

Warwick’s face was as inscrutable as ever, but it didn’t seem happy. Not that it ever really did. “I asked if you were getting hungry. Your stomach made a pretty loud noise a moment ago.”

As if on cue, his stomach rumbled again. Rengar frowned a bit - he had hardly noticed his own hunger after everything that had happened. “Hmm. I suppose I am. Fortunate we have all that fresh reindeer, isn’t it?”

“I thought we were supposed to bring that back for everyone to eat at camp,” Warwick asked. Rengar simply scoffed and waved a hand dismissively in the air.

“That was before someone’s miscalculation got us caught out in a blizzard. We’re lucky to be alive, I have no concerns about feeding them in their nice, safe tents. Besides, who knows how long we’ll be stuck in here. If the deer were to go bad, we would’ve wasted all that time and effort, don’t you think?”

Rengar didn’t actually think they’d be trapped there long enough for spoiling to be a concern, but he was hungry and annoyed. Eating would be a welcome distraction.

“If you’re sure …” Warwick shrugged a bit and went into another room. Rengar heard him begin to rummage, the sound of things clanging together, and went to investigate. It looked like the small room behind the den was a kitchen.

“Ahh. Going to cook it?” 

Warwick simply nodded in response and continued to search for the right implements. Rengar didn’t usually cook his food, it took more time and he kind of liked the bloody sensation of tearing into something with his teeth. Warwick was a bit more inclined to eat cooked food - Rengar figured it was probably because he used to be a human. Which was hard to imagine, but still.

“... can I help, somehow?”

Warwick looked back at the man for a moment with an indiscernible expression. After a moment, he looked back at the cabinet he was looking through. “... sure. Help me find something we can put it in.”


	4. Chapter 4

The smell of cooking meat was absolutely tantalizing, and the entire experience of eating was all the more enjoyable for it. After their meal was concluded, Rengar sat back on the old-looking loveseat across from the fire and gave a satisfied sigh.

“For someone stuck in a blizzard, you seem pretty pleased,” Warwick commented. Rengar was fairly certain he sounded amused, which he considered a good thing.

He grinned toothily back at the other man. “For someone stuck in a blizzard, I am fairly pleased. After all, I got to draw fresh blood today and enjoy the fruits of my own labor. Besides, I’ve been through worse. Storms in the Kumungu could get pretty severe, I’ve spent days holed up in my den before. This is nothing. I’ve even got company this time, which is certainly a change.”

Warwick looked away wordlessly. ‘Shit,’ Rengar thought. ‘Did I say something wrong?’ Sticking his foot in his mouth seemed to be his speciality. Even mundane interactions seemed to kill conversations or cast a dour mood over everything. But there wasn’t any avoiding it today, no distractions or ‘well let’s do something else’. They were stuck in a cabin with a grand total of three rooms, and there was no way in hell either of them were going far from the fireplace.

An awkward silence hung over the room for several long seconds before he broke it. “So, uhh … did it ever snow in Zaun?” A pretty harmless question, he thought.

“Sometimes. But it was always chemical-laden and very dangerous. Like the Gray. Snowy days could be deadly.” He didn’t sound upset, but the words brought a slight frown to Rengar’s face. “Most of the snow ended up falling on Piltover anyway. We were pretty far down. I was even further.”

Rengar couldn’t quite think of anything to say after that.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been nearly two hours since their short-lived conversation. Neither had said much since then, keeping themselves busy with random menial tasks. Rengar tended to the fire a bit and spent some time looking for more firewood. He found all of it pretty quickly, but rummaging through closets and going between rooms was a pretty okay way to kill time. He even found a few thick blankets they could use to keep warm. Warwick was less inclined to roam, but did seem to duck out of the room every so often for whatever reasons.

Eventually, Rengar had to admit something very painful to himself.

He was just sooooo goddamn bored. So! Bored! There was absolutely nothing to do! He didn’t bring anything with him to whittle, there was nothing to read aside from some strange yordle romance novels he found in the bedroom, and you could only sharpen your knives so many times. And they were going to be stuck there for god knows how much longer! He couldn’t live like this. This whole awkward silence nonsense had to stop. He had to end it.

“So …” he began somewhat hesitantly, breaking the silence. One of his hands fiddled awkwardly at his side. “You’re like … a dog. Sort of. That must be … interesting.”

Warwick was faced away, so Rengar couldn’t attempt to read his expression. Not that he was very good at that anyway. “I … guess so. I’m a chimera, though. Only part wolf. Don’t really think of myself as one.”

“What … do you consider yourself, then?”

The chimera’s shoulders slumped a bit. “... a monster, mostly.”

Awkward. 

‘Well. That went well,’ Rengar thought sarcastically, chiding himself for his obvious stupid move. This wasn’t working. He wasn’t good at subtle, at initiating a conversation or carrying one. Especially not with these lingering feelings of doubt. Did Warwick just … not want to talk to him? It was possible. He couldn’t stop thinking about that possibility. He had to know.

He breathed in deeply, then sighed. It was a tough question to pose. “... do you not like me very much, Warwick?” 

“... what?” More than anything, the chimera sounded surprised. “What … what do you mean by that?”

“Just what it sounds like. Do you dislike me? Did I do something to offend you?” It wouldn’t be that surprising, Rengar was pretty sure he was good at upsetting people. Normally he didn’t care - most people were too thin-skinned, in his opinion - but Warwick’s opinion held more weight for … a variety of reasons. Including ones he hadn’t fully admitted to himself, yet.

Warwick looked at him with an uncertain expression, saying nothing for a few awkward seconds. Finally, he looked down and broke eye contact. “I don’t dislike you. You’re fine company.”

That wasn’t an answer Rengar expected. He sat up a little taller and raised an eyebrow. “Really? You always seem so standoffish, even after all this time. Do you enjoy being around me?”

The other man didn’t answer. He was looking at the floor with a very clearly confused expression, his ears low against the back of his head.

“Warwick?”

“... why do you care so much? Why does it matter?” His voice had a twinge of distress and it raised in pitch. He turned away to face the fire suddenly. “We work together. We hunt together because we’re the best at it. That’s all!”

“But what about when we’re not hunting?” Rengar’s voice had escalated into a slightly angry growl. He felt like he was being denied or shunned, something he was entirely accustomed to but still hated. “I’ve never forced you to be around me at camp. Yet you follow me around as if you were lost! We eat our meals together, we speak about anything --”

“If you’re trying to say that’s a problem,” Warwick interrupted gruffly, “then I’ll leave you alone.”

Rengar sputtered audibly, throwing up his arms in frustration. “Wh- no I’m- that’s not what I’m trying to say!”

Warwick whipped his head around to face Rengar again, his face pulled back into a snarl. “Then what are you trying to say?!”

Rengar made a frustrated noise and put his hands on the sides of his head. “Nnngh … the opposite! The exact opposite!”

Warwick glared back at him in silence for a few moments. He panted slightly, then began to look around in confusion as his expression shifted back to a more neutral one. “Wh … what do you mean?”

“I mean …” he paused to find the right words this time. “I mean I like doing that stuff with you around. I think of you as my friend. I enjoy your company. I thought perhaps you didn’t enjoy mine. Which … would be fair. I’m not exactly the best conversationalist, and I can get a bit angry --”

“Why?” Warwick interrupted again, turning away with his ears low. He didn’t seem distressed this time, mostly just … vaguely sad, maybe. Or angry. It was hard to tell with his scratchy, growly voice - he always sounded at least a little angry. “You shouldn’t want to be around me. I’m a monster. I’m dangerous.”

Rengar shook his head. “What, because of the chimera thing? You might not have noticed, but I’m not exactly a human myself.”

“Not just because of that!” Now, Warwick was more clearly angry as he gestured toward the chemical vials on his arms, to the device attached to his back. “I’m not even just a chimera! I’m covered in these accursed contraptions, stabbing into me and pouring chemicals into my blood at the slightest provocation! It needles at my mind, driving me into uncontrollable frenzies with little warning … even at the best of times, I’m a hazard. Why in the world would you want to be friends with that? Do you have a death wish?”

Wow. Not the response he was expecting, yet again. Rengar mulled it over for a few seconds before slowly nodding. “Maybe. You’re certainly not the first person to ask me that.”

“... you sound like a fool, you know. There are much better people than me around. You get along well with Vi.” They both had a ‘punch first’ attitude, so they clicked pretty well. “And you like Poppy, no matter what you say to the contrary. You two are such obvious friends.”

Rengar scratched at his cheek and laughed a bit awkwardly. “Ahh, well … we’ve been through things together. She was one of the first people I met when I joined the group, since we joined at the same time. She’s annoying and preachy, true, but she’s okay.”

Warwick shook his head. “See? You have plenty of other people you could spend your time with. You don’t have to waste your time with me.”

Approaching the chimera, he sat down next to him, leaning back on his hands. “I certainly do have other people available. But I’d rather spend my time with you, specifically.”

“... why? What do I offer that they don’t?” Warwick was sounding less like he was putting up a fight and more like he was just feeling defeated at this point. “I’m not much of a talker either. I don’t have Jarvan’s charisma, or Vi’s infectious laughter, or Poppy’s stubborn helpfulness. I don’t offer anything other than danger.”

“You offer a level of understanding that they never could,” Rengar replied with a firm nod. “You know what it’s like to be considered a monster. Even if they say they’re comfortable with me, I always feel like there’s some level of distance. They don’t understand - they can’t understand - what it’s like to be me. It just isn’t possible. But you can. And that can be the basis for a lot of incredible things. I feel more comfortable around you than anyone else. That’s all.” He chuckled a bit. “Is that such a bad thing?”

Warwick seemed at a loss for words. Finally, he grunted and shook his head. “It’s pretty bad when you find yourself identifying with a literal mad science experiment gone wrong. You don’t find that concerning or scary at all?”

Rengar shrugged. “I guess it’s different for me. I’ve been like this my whole life, and not once have I wished I was human. Humans are weak, small. Hairless. Terrible. I have no interest in such things. I respect you for what you are, not once you once were. If anything, I think your new form is a blessing in disguise. It’s not as if you can go back, so why not attempt to embrace what you are? Err, aside from the chemical-y bits, perhaps. When this is all over, you should try going to Piltover. They could probably remove those parts, at least.”

The chimera was quiet again. Finally, he sighed and shook his head for a third time. “I don’t understand you. But … I won’t stop you from doing what you want.” He looked away again but he didn’t seem unhappy. “If being around me is really something you enjoy, then I suppose there’s no harm in being around one another. Though I’m still not sure I see what you get out of all this.”

Rengar laughed and patted his friend on the back. “We have a lot in common, you know! Besides just the looks, I mean. You’re the best hunter I’ve ever met aside from myself. Neither of us are very conversational, but I feel like words come easier when I’m with you. Even if it’s just me making a fool of myself again.”

“You’re pretty good at that,” Warwick interjected with what almost looked like a smile.

“Don’t be rude,” Rengar said while laughing. “I do my best, really. It’s just not the greatest. You’re not any better at this than I am, are you?”

“I’ve never asked you if you were a cat, though.”

“Hey, at least I was trying!”


	6. Chapter 6

The two continued talking and carrying on into the night, the previous awkwardness mostly forgotten. Nothing particularly important was said, they just talked about whatever came to mind. The storm was nearly forgotten, aside from the pounding at the window and the chill that seemed to creep in even through the warmth of the fire.

Rengar was in the middle of a story about a hunt when he broke into a sneezing fit. When it passed, he couldn’t help but cross his arms and shiver, scooting closer to the fire.

“It’s t-too damn cold, even with the fire. I’ll live, but I’m not gonna be happy about it.”

Warwick looked at him for a few moments as if thinking, then spoke. “Didn’t you find some blankets earlier? What happened to those?”

Oh shit, yeah! He totally did find those back when he was awkwardly trying to dance around his feelings. Rengar turned back to look at the loveseat and there they were, sitting in a nice, warm pile. He scrambled back to retrieve them and returned to toss one over Warwick.

“There! Now you can be warm, too.” Rengar grinned even though the other man couldn’t see it from his prison of warmth.

“Thanks. Just what I didn’t ask for.”

By the time Rengar had finished wrapping himself in a blanket and settled back into his spot, Warwick had broken free and was cocooning himself as well. “What should we do with the third one?” he asked as he emerged from his cottony shell.

“Hmm. I’ll just drape it over both of us. We can share it.”

And share it they did, the two huddling closer and sharing warmth. Internally, Rengar felt a twinge of something he couldn’t quite describe. He was pretty sure it was good, though. The two sat in comfortable silence for a while before Warwick unceremoniously broke it.

“Hey, Rengar?” he asked innocently enough. 

“Yeah, Warwick?”

“Do you think we’re gonna die here?”

The nonchalant way he asked that caused Rengar to sit up a little straighter and give him a look of concern. “Uhhh … probably not? The storm can’t go on forever, we’ve got food and our companions will definitely come find us once it passes. At worst the front door might get blocked, but I’m confident I could smash a hole in the roof and just crawl out there. Are you that worried about it?”

The chimera shook his head. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m also pretty sure we’ll be fine. I just never thought a situation like this would come up for me. I always thought I’d die in some stupid or violent way, like an overdose of chemicals or a fight I could never have won but the blood fury drove me into anyway. Dying slowly and quietly in a freezing cabin … never considered the possibility before.”

“... you’re … pretty morbid, sometimes.”

Warwick shrugged. “I guess.”

Rengar shook the thought out of his head. “Well … since we’re talking about death anyway. Any regrets? Think you’d hate it if you died here?”

The other man gave him an almost withering look, the phrase ‘I have more regrets than there are stars in the sky’ practically written on his corneas. But he shook his head. “None that I can do anything about now. I wouldn’t say regrets as much as people I would go back and kill if I had the chance. Mostly just Singed, though. What about you?”

Rengar scratched at his chin and hummed in thought. It took a few seconds of wracking his brain before anything came up. “Well, I would regret not catching the damnable beast that took my eye. Like hell I’d let myself die before I took it down. And … mmm.” He paused and internally debated whether or not he wanted to share his second regret. Eventually his brain just went ‘fuck it’. “When we were in Piltover, back when we met you and you joined our group, there was a party before we left. Do you remember that?”

“I remember avoiding it like the plague,” he said with a derisive snort. “Even if they said they wouldn’t treat me like a freak, I knew well enough to avoid that.”

“Right, right. But you remember it happened, that’s what matters. Anyway, after the party was over, I got an … invitation. From one of the yordles hosting the party. Ziggs, I think. Or maybe one of the little white ones, it’s all a bit hazy now. For an … after-party of sorts.”

“... wait. You mean a .. yordle party, right?” The tone in Warwick’s voice indicated pretty clearly that he knew exactly what Rengar was talking about.

“Yeah. That kind of party. I didn’t get it at first, but Poppy explained it to me when I showed her the invite. She’s also the one who … convinced me to go.”

Warwick was silent for a few moments as that sank in. “... so you regret going?”

“I regret not getting to go again,” Rengar answered with a laugh. At Warwick’s expression, he just laughed harder. “What? You really thought you knew where that was going, didn’t you?”

In spite of himself, Warwick chuckled a little.

As the two laughed together, and Rengar felt the happiest he had been in quite a while, a tiny twinge of something else poked at the back of his mind. Like something wasn’t quite there, or there was more to talk about. He couldn’t quite puzzle it out, so he pushed it to the back of his mind and focused on enjoying the situation they were stuck in.

If it was important, he could figure it out later … right?

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! <333


End file.
